We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. ~Hebrews 6:19

Month: October 2016

Today is the day we remember our babies that were gone too soon. My heart goes out to all of the women out there who have had to endure the kind of pain this brings. I would like to share an uplifting story.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to buy a necklace for a friend who lost her baby too soon. She was further along than me, and we were due around the same time. I went to Etsy and ordered her a necklace that said, “And if not, He is still good.” She had encouraged me after my miscarriage and said (regarding her pregnancy):

“…whatever the outcome may be, the best or the worst, He is still God and deserves glory regardless; whether that glory comes in the form of new life, or in a powerful testimony like the one you now have to share.”

I was able to remind her of these words after she had to release her daughter into the arms of Jesus, and she was so very thankful I did. So, I ordered the necklace, and shared with the seller why I was buying it. I told her I recently miscarried, and that my friend and I were due around the same time. She then told me she wanted to send me the same necklace! I was overcome with gratitude, and shared the blog post about my miscarriage with her. This was her reply:

The title of my blog was, “Thy Will,” and in it, I shared the Hillary Scott song that got me through that difficult time in my life. How sweet was that??? So, all because I wanted to bless my sweet friend, I in turn was blessed DOUBLE. Isn’t that how our awesome God works? I want to encourage you to check out Lara’s shop on Etsy. She has so many encouraging pieces of beautiful jewelry, and you know that you are supporting an amazing woman with a heart of gold. Here is the link to her shop, Redeemed Jewelry.

Today, on Pregnancy & Infant Loss awareness day, I encourage you to light a candle at 7:00pm in remembrance our little ones. Also, I encourage you to reach out to someone you know who has miscarried or lost an infant. We aren’t statistics, we are real people who suffered great loss, no matter how far along in the pregnancy we were, or how long our infant had breath in his or her lungs, and sadly, many suffer alone in silence. But thank you Lord for the hope we find in you! You feel our pain, and hold our hearts all the more tighter. May we feel your love not only today, but every day. Thank you Jesus!

I decided to pick up my Life Journal after not having used it in awhile (I have been using a different Bible reading plan) and used it for my Bible study this morning. I flipped to the assigned reading for today: Nehemiah 7 and 8, and Acts 1. It wasn’t long before I found the verse I would journal on:

“All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them.” Nehemiah 8:12

You see, Ezra brought the book of the law before the people and translated it from Hebrew to Aramaic so they could understand it. The people wept (v.9) because they had not obeyed the law, but Nehemiah said, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (v. 10).

Conviction of sin brings sorrow, but true repentance brings joy and celebration! We should live in a constant state of humility and openness to correction, just as these people did. What stood out to me was the commentary in my Bible. It says, “Conviction of sin caused the people to weep, appropriate to the Day of Atonement but not to the Feast of Trumpets and the celebration of the completion of the wall.”

In Theology class yesterday I did a presentation on the Christus Victor theory of atonement, and it recalled to mind a classmate telling me a few weeks ago that the Day of Atonement was around the day of our presentation. So, as I read the notes in my Bible today, I decided to look it up. Today is the Day of Atonement. How appropriate that I “happened” to read what I did today? I almost skipped my devotional time today as I got a late start to the day and have class at 12:00pm. However, I didn’t, and decided to open up my Life Journal and do the recommended reading for the day (The Day of Atonement falls on different days each year so the Life Journal didn’t know this would happen). It wasn’t by chance, but by Design.

If you aren’t familiar with this Biblical Holy Day, it is the day forgiveness of sins is asked of God, and is usually accompanied with 24 hours of prayer and fasting. You can find out more here: Yom Kippur.

Aren’t you glad that we have a loving, forgiving God who casts our sins to the bottom of the sea? My prayer is that as we study His word we receive more and more revelation and understanding so that we can walk of the life of abundance He has planned for us. ❤